Chapter 122 The Imperial Examination
Although Shao Yanzhe studied finance in his previous life, he also knew a little about computers.
When he was building his dream world, he worried that other ouroboros or similar things might silently enter his dream world, so he used a computer as a model to create a dream world with a firewall.
No one can enter his dreams unless he allows it.
If the opponent is powerful enough to forcibly break through his dream firewall, he will notice it, unlike before when he was completely unaware.
After creating the Dream Firewall, he modified his dream world, creating the area where he had lived in his previous life based on his memories, allowing him to have a grand dream here from time to time.
He was able to control his dreams thanks to the ouroboros.
Shao Yanzhe originally thought that after waking up from the dream world, he would never be able to enter it again, and would only occasionally have some bizarre dreams as before.
Later, during another dream, he unintentionally re-entered his dream world and gradually gained the ability to control it, thus returning to his dream world once more.
Now, he uses the dream world he has already built to let Zhou Jiming and the other two read in the dream world. Not only do they not feel hungry or tired, but time also flows much slower in the real world outside.
Shao Yanzhe stared at the three students who were diligently studying under the teacher's whip, and quietly joined them.
He also plans to study the material systematically again before starting mock exams.
Zhou Jiming and his two companions faced a small test every three days and a large test every seven days, making them feel like they were living or dying from the stress of the tests.
However, it has been quite effective. Articles that I couldn't remember before can now be recited fluently, and articles that I could write can now be fabricated. Although they seem somewhat contrived, the overall quality of the articles is still quite good.
Upon seeing this, Shao Yanzhe gradually unlocked their memories, allowing them to slowly adapt to the current learning pace.
When all their memories returned, they looked at the article they had written in front of them, their eyes filled with shock.
They never imagined they could write such an excellent article!
Are they geniuses?
Soon, after seeing Shao Yanzhe's current article, they understood.
genius?
They are not.
They quietly continued studying and taking exams.
It would be impossible to make them study so diligently while they still have memories.
They believe deep down that they are incapable, and their concentration drops when they are studying, making them far less diligent than when they have amnesia.
Now that they have seen the effects of studying hard, and understand that their efforts are worthwhile, they are motivated to study hard after their memories have been restored.
The four of them studied diligently in the dream world, and for a moment they didn't even know what year it was.
The flow of time in the dream world is inherently chaotic, making it impossible for them to remember how long they have been there.
Finally, Shao Yanzhe looked at Zhou Jiming and the other two.
"Alright, that's enough for this phase of learning. Let's take a break."
Zhou Jiming, Liu Mingyuan, and Chen Yunhe, who were somewhat dazed from studying, took a long time to process his words.
"real?"
"Very good!"
"Finally, I can rest!"
Overjoyed, the three of them flung their brushes aside, crumpled the Xuan paper in front of them into a ball and threw it away, then hugged each other and wept bitterly.
Looking at their appearance, Shao Yanzhe felt a little guilty, but then he became more self-righteous. Anyway, it was only a period of hardship, and things would be easier once they passed the imperial examination.
In the period that followed, Shao Yanzhe would take Zhou Jiming and the other two into the dream world to study hard.
After learning how the four of them studied, Wen Yanqing and the other two had complicated expressions, but at the same time, they were also somewhat eager to try, especially after discovering their rapid progress. This idea reached its peak.
Finally, after they expressed their desire to study with them, Shao Yanzhe did not refuse and readily agreed.
The seven-person study group was thus formed.
As the end of December approached, people from the Marquis of Changping's residence came to visit.
"Young Master, the Marquis requests your return to the Marquis's residence." The steward of the Marquis of Changping's residence stood before Zhou Jiming, his attitude extremely respectful.
Zhou Jiming resolutely refused: "I won't go back!"
The steward said with a troubled expression, "Young Master, the Marquis said that if you don't go back, you shouldn't go back at all. Young Master, the New Year is just around the corner. If you stay away from the Marquis's residence, others will laugh at you."
As he spoke, he glanced at Shao Yanzhe and the others beside him, and continued, "Young Master, the Marquis said that you should not associate with those shady people who try to curry favor with you. You are naive and will be deceived. The Marquis said that if you return, he will immediately petition His Majesty to formally appoint you as the Young Master, and you will inherit the title of Marquis of Changping in the future."
Anger flashed across Zhou Jiming's face. He stepped forward and punched the butler in the face.
"Ouch! Young Master, spare my life!"
The butler was punched in the face and immediately fell to the ground, begging for mercy.
Zhou Jiming wanted to step forward, but Shao Yanzhe quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Brother Zhou, don't be impulsive."
Zhou Jiming glared at the butler: "Get out of here right now!"
"Yes! Yes! Your Highness, please don't be angry, this old servant will leave right away!"
The butler hurriedly got up from the ground and ran towards the door in a disheveled state.
He ran to the door, stopped, and asked, "Young Master, are you returning to the Marquis's residence?"
"I'm not going back!"
“Brother Zhou, why don’t you go back to the Marquis of Changping’s residence?” Shao Yanzhe advised. “After all, the New Year is just around the corner, and it’s really not good for you to stay outside. At this time, you should go back and visit.”
After hearing this, Zhou Jiming hesitated. It was impossible for him not to want to return to the Marquis of Changping's residence, after all, it was his family there.
"If you don't want to stay any longer, just come back," Shao Yanzhe said.
After listening, Zhou Jiming felt that there was some truth to it, and after hesitating for a while, he agreed.
Shao Yanzhe and the others saw him to the door and then began to arrange the food for the next few days.
Just as the group was having dinner together that evening, Zhou Jiming unexpectedly returned in a rage.
"Brother Zhou, have you had dinner yet?" Seeing his anger, Shao Yanzhe didn't immediately ask why he had returned so late at night.
Zhou Jiming rubbed his flat stomach, which was full of hunger, and shook his head, saying, "I haven't eaten."
"That's perfect, we were just about to start eating, why don't we eat together!"
"good!"
Zhou Jiming immediately sat down at the dining table, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.
Only after he had eaten and drunk his fill did he begin to explain.
"That old man has already petitioned the emperor to bestow the title of heir apparent upon that illegitimate son. In a while, I'm afraid the entire capital will know."
He spoke with great anger on his face.
"If that's the case, then why did he call me back?"
Shao Yanzhe and the others exchanged glances, then looked at Zhou Jiming and said, "Then stay here for now. If Marquis Changping comes later, you can go back with him."
After having dinner, the group chatted for a while before going back to rest.
Shao Yanzhe originally thought that Marquis Changping would arrive soon, but as the days went by, he didn't see a trace of Marquis Changping, nor did he see a single person from Marquis Changping's residence.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiming's eyes, which had previously held a glimmer of hope, completely dimmed.
Fortunately, reading can also distract him. He immerses himself in his studies every day, oblivious to everything else, and focuses solely on his reading.
Seeing this, the others didn't know what to say, so they could only concentrate on their studies.
Soon it was New Year's Day, and the group spent a fairly good New Year together at the Zhou residence.
Before they knew it, the imperial examination arrived. They prepared the necessary items and then went to the examination venue.
The imperial examination lasted nine days, and the group already had plenty of experience. They brought their own food and lined up to enter the examination hall.
Before entering the examination hall, Shao Yanzhe glanced outside again, his eyes filled with doubt.
Just now, he noticed someone watching him, but when he scanned the area where the gaze was directed, he didn't see anyone suspicious, so he could only temporarily dismiss his doubts, as today's exam was the most important thing.
Led by a soldier, he arrived at his assigned cell, put down the examination basket in his hand, took out a rag to tidy it up a bit, and then sat down.
Then, he saw a familiar person diagonally opposite his cell.
This person was the same boy who had made a bet with Zhou Jiming. He seemed to have seen Shao Yanzhe as well. After glancing at him, he glared at him and quickly looked away.
Shao Yanzhe smiled and didn't mind. He made up his bed and hung the oilcloth at the entrance of the cell to block the wind, which made him feel a little better.
It's currently February, winter isn't over yet, and the temperature is still very cold. Today the sky is overcast, and a biting wind is blowing.
He looked up at the sky, a look of worry flashing in his eyes, hoping that the weather would improve.
However, things did not turn out as he had hoped.
As the first bell rang at the examination hall, snowflakes began to fall gently from the sky, and soon a thin layer of snow accumulated on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Shao Yanzhe immediately began answering the questions as soon as he received the test paper. The temperature was already quite cold, and with the bad weather, he was afraid the next few days would be unpleasant.
He needs to finish answering the questions as soon as possible, and also to avoid being unable to answer them in the next few days due to stiffness caused by the cold weather.
The other candidates also realized this, and everyone started answering the questions as soon as they received the signal.
As darkness fell, the snow on the ground reached ankle-deep, and the entire examination hall was covered with a thick layer of snow.
At this moment, Shao Yanzhe stopped writing, took out the charcoal brazier from the corner, lit it with a tinderbox, and then put his hands, which were a little stiff from the cold, on it to warm them.
After his hands had calmed down a bit, he poured some of the burning charcoal into the small clay stove, then added some firewood. Once it was burning, he placed the clay pot on top.
The weather was cold, and he was hungry, so he decided to cook some porridge to warm himself up.
Just as Shao Yanzhe was slowly drinking a bowl of steaming porridge, something unpleasant happened outside the examination hall.
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